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The 2018 midterm elections will be remembered as The Year of the Woman in more ways than one. On November 6th, the Democratic Party enjoyed its highest margin of victory ever among female voters in a midterm election. The result, As of November 13, the Democrats had a net gain over the Republicans in the House of Representatives of at least 32 (up to 40 is possible) seats giving them a solid majority there. Under the U.S. Constitution, The House has "the sole power of impeachment." Therefore, women, I would guess, can’t wait to tune into the President’s Impeachment Hearings on MSNBC hosted by Rachel Maddow.

Major elections take place only next May in the 27 EU member states, including Italy. But already political voices are being raised in Italy these days, from the rubbish pile-up to the pile-up of the national debt.

In an era of political divisiveness, Italian President Sergio Mattarella remains a unifying figure and Italy's most popular single politician, widely praised for his calm and "prudently presidential style.

President Sergio Mattarella appoints Senate President Maria Elisabetta Casellati to conduct exploratory negotiations for a new government. By way of light relief, in a street art cartoon copying Caravaggio's famous painting politicians are satirized as cardsharps.

When Beppe Grillo, Movimento Cinque Stelle leader, took a tumble into one of the myriad Roman potholes, the sarcastic chortles of his opponents echoed all over Italy. Why? Because the mayor, who is expected to fix up Rome and its streets, is from his party.

Why are so many Americans of Italian descent leaning rightward toward the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the most powerful position in the world --- the Presidency of the United States of America? It's one of the many things about Italian Americans that makes little sense to most people, including other full and half-Italian Americans. What follows are some pretty solid speculations, and a reminder of the left-leaning history of Italian American political history.

An important three-way summit brings together Matteo Renzi, François Hollande and Angela Merkel, meeting on board ship Aug. 22 off the isle of Ventotene. On the storm-tossed agenda: Brexit and the Italian economy.